Cable Guys Television and Masculinities in the 21st Century / Amanda D. Lotz.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lotz, Amanda D., 1974-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Television broadcasting--Social aspects.

Men on television.

Masculinity on television.

Cable television--Social aspects.

Television--Aspect social--États-Unis.

Television.

Teledistribution--Aspect social--États-Unis.

Teledistribution.

Hommes à la television.

Masculinite à la television.

Television broadcasting--Social aspects--United States.

Television broadcasting.

Cable television--Social aspects--United States.

Cable television.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (252 p.)

Manufacture:

Baltimore, Md. : Project MUSE, 2021

Place of Publication:

New York : New York University Press, 2014.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The emergence of "male-centered serials" such as The Shield, Rescue Me, and Sons Of Anarchy and the challenges these characters face in negotiating modern masculinities. From the meth-dealing but devoted family man Walter White of AMC’s Breaking Bad, to the part-time basketball coach, part-time gigolo Ray Drecker of HBO’s Hung, depictions of male characters perplexed by societal expectations of men and anxious about changing American masculinity have become standard across the television landscape. Engaging with a wide variety of shows, including TheLeague, Dexter, and Nip/Tuck, among many others, Amanda D. Lotz identifies the gradual incorporation of second-wave feminism into prevailing gender norms as the catalyst for the contested masculinities on display in contemporary cable dramas. Examining the emergence of “male-centered serials” such as The Shield, Rescue Me, and Sons of Anarchy and the challenges these characters face in negotiating modern masculinities, Lotz analyzes how these shows combine feminist approaches to fatherhood and marriage with more traditional constructions of masculine identity that emphasize men’s role as providers. She explores the dynamics of close male friendships both in groups, as in Entourage and Men of a Certain Age, wherein characters test the boundaries between the homosocial and homosexual in their relationships with each other, and in the dyadic intimacy depicted in Boston Legal and Scrubs. Cable Guys provides a much needed look into the under-considered subject of how constructions of masculinity continue to evolve on television.

Contents:

Introduction

Understanding Men on Television

Trying to Man Up: Struggling with Contemporary Masculinities in Cable's Male-Centered Serials

Any Men and Outlaws: The Unbearable Burden of Straight White Man

Where Men Can Be Men: The Homosocial Enclave and Jocular Policing of Masculinity

Dynamic Duos: Hetero Intimacy and the New Male Friendship

Conclusion: Is It the End of Men as We Know Them?

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

This eBook is made available Open Access under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781479800124

1479800120

OCLC:

871258016

Access Restriction:

Open access Unrestricted online access